GET INSPIRED BY OTHERS

Sometimes we need a bit of inspiration. Here are the latest case studies from our blog (you can see all of them here), with real life experiences both in the studio and on location. If you'd like to help inspire others by sharing your own experiences, get in touch. Just 3 or 4 points and a few pics is enough for us to put together a case study! Let us know here.

SWEETSHOP: HOW WE WORK

A break from our usual case study format today, as Georgie Hean from Sweetshop's Melbourne office talks us through their green policy and how it's translated on set...

"At Sweetshop, we’ve always been really conscious about reducing our waste. As part of our ‘We Care’ approach, we set our Green Policy in motion earlier this year. This is a set of no-excuse guidelines, detailing our commitment and the actions we’re taking to achieve greener productions. We’re not expecting to change everything overnight, but we’re taking a lot of small steps and we’ve made a lot of progress.

Attached to every call sheet sent out to all crew is a set of documents which outline the ways in which we can reduce waste, both on set and in the office. Every freelancer that we work with is encouraged to read through these policies before starting the job and to make an effort to reduce the waste produced on their shoot. We also include a report to be filled out at the end of each shoot by our designated ‘Green Officer’ - usually the production assistant or production manager. This details the ways we have impacted on our environment, and suggests things we can do to limit our impact on any subsequent shoot days, and on future jobs.

At Sweetshop, most of our Directors are signed globally – great for our agency and client partners, but the downside is that they fly a lot! Our green reports now include the number and frequency of flights our Directors take, and the metric tonnes of C02 released per flight. We’re collating this information centrally and have opted to offset the emissions of every flight we book.

Our first big test of the new policies came in July of this year, when we shot two commercials for Bupa with AJF Partnership in Melbourne. Along with the policy documents going out, the production team (which I was part of) looked at waste reduction measures prior to the shoot. Coffee cups and water bottles were an easy way to make a change. Having asked all crew to bring their own reusable cup and water bottle in advance of the shoot via the call sheet, we were please with how people did bring their own. For those that forgot a coffee cup, we provided them with a personalised KeepCup and water bottle for the day - we'd organised a whole batch of these prior to the shoot and were also available for agency and client to use. Generally anyone who forgot their own on the first day then brought their own cup on the second day, which was great to see. For water, we had water coolers which were a success. Since that first shoot, more and more crew have gotten into the habit of bringing cups and bottles from home, which fills me with hope of a shift in the attitudes of those working on set!

This simple action significantly reduced the number of disposable coffee cups and bottles that were sent to landfill during the shoot. Having the unit team, runners, and many of our other Sweetshoppers on board with our Green Policy is a really valuable asset. It’s so much easier to enforce a policy when there is a team all on the same page.

Regarding catering, we were only able to have drop-off catering on day 1, which would normally mean a lot of plastic wrap and trays. However, we spoke to the owner of the company in advance and asked if we could receive breakfast and lunch on china platters and in chaffing dishes, with the promise that these would be returned to their kitchen the following day! This was a little bit more work, but we were happy knowing that we were reducing the amount of unnecessary plastic and waste on set. On day 2, we used a catering truck and so were able to use china plates and cutlery, further reducing our waste. I’m really excited to tackle the issue of food waste more on the next shoot and work towards finding an efficient solution to composting waste left on people’s plates. I also hope we can do more to preserve food that isn’t eaten and have this delivered to food rescue charities such as Ozharvest, who redistribute it to people in need – something that Sweetshop does on a regular basis.

We limited the number of call sheets and booklets that we printed to heads of department copies only, and encouraged everyone else to view these on their phones or other devices. Sweetshop has purchased iPads to use on set as opposed to paper, however these were already booked out on other jobs, so encouraging crew to view shoot documents digitally was the next best thing.

On set for BUPA

Although most people are happy to jump on board with green initiatives, we still came across some people who, when offered a KeepCup, still asked to have their coffee in a disposable coffee cup. While we respected their wishes, we decided not to pop the plastic lid on and they were happy enough with that. Another challenge we faced was individual waste disposal. Even though bins were labelled, we still had people unsure about what was recyclable and what wasn’t. With improved labelling and more informative signs, I think we can change this in the future.

I'm really proud of the crew getting on board with the Green Policy and I’m excited and optimistic about the change we can make to better ourselves on every shoot. Waste minimisation and environmentally-sound practice is something that I am passionate about, so to work for a company who is willing to put in the effort to make a difference in this way is a great inspiration."

If you're inspired by the above and would like to put any policies in place at your office, try starting with our office resources. You can also use the Sustainable Production Agreement as a framework for your next shoot, in order to collaborate on greener production with the agency and production team.

CASE STUDY: THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS TOUR VISUALS

Welcome to another green production case study! This time around production manager Caroline Milsom talks about her recent shoot, creating visuals for The Chemical Brothers’ latest tour...

"If i’m honest, it hasn’t previously been a conscious intention to consider the environment when I started a new job. I’d definitely put my awakening down to AdGreen’s Green Production Get Togethers, which opened me up to ways in which I could get more creative and engaged in sustainable production. The 3rd event in the series had taken place just before I began this particular job, so it was fresh in my mind going into it.

On day one I spoke with the studio (3 Mills) and Ollie Tiong, the art director, about how we would wrap. I started on the production two weeks before the shoot, and having looked at the boards, I knew we were going to have a fair amount of prop and set leftovers. The studio provided a great handbook with a list of companies (including new green/community led initiatives), and this inspired me to contact Jo at AdGreen to seek out even more rehoming tips.

A couple of days in I learned that we were going to have a rehearsal with our dancers prior to the shoot, and there was talk of getting 50 sheets of correx to cover the floor so that the they could rehearse barefoot. Correx can’t currently be recycled so I spoke to Jo at AdGreen about possible alternatives, and she suggested Locamats or Ramboard, or potentially arranging to use secondhand correx. I looked into a few of these options, however after investigation the companies that could have helped us with used Correx weren’t travelling in our direction and also didn’t have the amount that we required. I got a quote for Locamats. Before booking, I queried with the producer Matthew Cummins whether it was necessary and as a result, we opted for trainers on feet instead, and ditched the floor covering idea all together! This saved a lot of potential waste - and also money.

In the case of the art department, Ollie Tiong put together a breakdown detailing parts of the set that could be reused versus bits that would likely be sent to the skip. I took this plan and set about working out how to rehome as many items as possible. Jo had also mentioned Dresd to me, a company specialising in building sets from reclaimed materials who can also consult on breaking them down in a way that saves as many materials as possible. They can also act purely as a transport service, collecting items to go into their store in Cardiff, to be reused on future productions. However on this occasion I opted to try and rehome everything locally, keeping Dresd in my back pocket just in case.

As is typical, Ollie’s action plan slipped down my to do list as organising the shoot itself took priority. As I waited for answers from recycling companies I had contacted, I jeopardised the deadline for confirming our skip which had to be in place by the time we wrapped on the final day. At the end of our second day, once everything else had been taken care of, I took to social media. I posted the items we were going to have on Set Swap Cycle on Facebook, put a snap on Instagram (with all the relevant hashtags) and advertised on Gumtree.

The baths in action for the visuals...

What ensued was a mad virtual yard sale, which saw me chatting with a wide variety of characters from different industries, and checking in with art department for updates on prospective wrap times of various items in order to arrange collection times. I enjoyed it - although it was far from my ideal and did add to my workload, it was definitely rewarding. By the end of the day we had given our bathtubs away to a private property developer, our plinths to an artist, our miscellaneous bungee cords, paint and other bits and bobs to a local art director, the colouramas to the family of our director Adam Smith (for making murals), and our old rope had gone to our sailing DIT. Happy days! In the end, I was able to book in a single waste collection for production waste and avoided the need for a skip.

...and waiting for collection!

When I embark on this next time, I would definitely action things earlier via social media - although we made it work, it was a bit of a last minute scramble! I’d also implement a waste management plan for production waste - being at 3 Mills meant we had to handle it ourselves which was new to me, but did highlight that reducing waste would reduce the cost of any collection we would need. I’ll also be getting to grips with Quantum Waste for waste/ recycling/ food waste next time I’m on location. Ramboard is now my floor protection of choice - I’ve got some for my short film shoot so I’ll be keeping hold of that for reuse!

The experience has left me keen to be more environmentally conscious and to be aware of the wider context in which we do our work. I’m very proud of my first stab at it and the warm glow I got from the wonders of waste management! By thinking about the world around me and our production within it, I saw how blinkered I tend to become when committed to getting the work done. By opening up the possibility of working with our community, I became profoundly aware of how many excuses I usually make, how I compromise my ethics, and contribute to wastefulness of this industry. With the bigger picture in mind, I found myself thinking outside the box and being more creative. The challenge of it actually made the shoot more fun - it felt like a game rather than a headache!

Thanks AdGreen! Onwards and upwards…"

To help you on your shoot, check out our Five Easy Things to get some inspiration. You can also point your crew to What Can I Do? and use our signage for your recycling bins and general awareness raising. The Sustainable Production Agreement is also a great way to make sure you’ve ticked as many green boxes as possible, and our FAQ section can help with info about coolers, cups and Ram Board. If you'd like to help inspire others by sharing your experience, get in touch. Just 3 or 4 points and a few pics is enough for us to put together a case study.

CASE STUDY: SWEETSHOP / OGILVY / DOVE

Case study newbie Hattie here... Back in May I production managed my first job for The Sweet Shop, for producer Justin Edmund White. On beginning the production I was given the signed agreement from Ogilvy, requesting a sustainable production. So great to have the agency on board from the word go! On this particular job, I also had a nice amount of prep time (rare), which meant I could really get stuck into the Ad Green website and do some research. I was also able to speak to HODs about making this a sustainable shoot (you can use the crew checklists here as a guide).

On entering The Sweet Shop’s office, I was super impressed at how green they were: food waste and recycling bins, a big stash of re-usable branded water bottles, and their newly arrived re-usable coffee cups. I was already loving their vibe!

We shot the Dove commercials on location for two days, using a different house for each (no unit moves, hurrah!). I began pre production by discussing waste with our location manager, Tom Bott. Quantum Waste had been recommended by AdGreen for quite a while, although nor I nor Tom had used them before. At first he was dubious about how green they really were, having had experience with other waste management companies. However, having explained how they work, he was fully on board. QW have an easy app to download, then simply enter all the pickup details (they do require 24 hours notice). They aim to pick up the waste within 2 hours of your requested time. We ordered the brilliant dual bins from Get Set Hire, and a load of clear plastic bags. We made sure we had 1 dual bin at baseand then 3 dual bins at the house: one near the agency/client area, one by the tea table and one on set. The Sweet Shop's brilliant production assistant Izzy came armed with laminated signs (download them from AdGreen here) and made sure all of the bins were clearly labelled. Apart from shovelling a few tea bags from the 'all other waste' bin into the 'food waste' - and reminding the caterer to use only the clear bags - it was a great success!

The caterers supplied us with china plates and metal cutlery for breakfast and lunch, and our elevensies and late break snacks came on re-usable platters. To boost the green credentials, we also ordered an extra water cooler for unit base and a load of bio-degradable coffee cups - again from Get Set Hire.

Having given crew the heads up on the callsheet and e-mail about our AdGreen mission using the template green notes here, many of them brought their own bottles. For those that didn’t, Izzy handed out The Sweet Shop's brilliant water bottles - first labelling them up with names. We'd also labelled up bottles for all of the agency and client attendees, and for the cast. Lora Brisland, Ogilvy’s producer, said “We loved the attention to detail regarding Sweetshop's commitment to being a sustainable production. The individually named reusable water bottles made a great first impression when arriving on set.”

To reduce the need for printing, I hired Get set’s pin board on wheels and we just had 1 x A3 print out of the callsheet, schedule and risk assesment. We also prepared an A1 piece of mount board with storyboards and schedule for agency/client area, and same again for director. This same piece was used for both days. Absolutely no other printouts were used for the whole shoot! Wardrobe, hair and make up had their briefs emailed to them so they could view digitally on the shoot. Long gone now are the late night stapling sessions of endless paperwork. We also brought along The Sweet Shop’s brilliant reusable and environmentally friendly bags to ensure that runners used them to save getting unnecessary plastic bags when out on runs.

Ben Keswick and Lee Cannon with the brilliant Locamats!

The final AdGreen addition was the brilliant Locamats. Our location manager Tom Bott had heard of them through other location managers. Although he hadn't tried them himself, he was keen. And given that we also had the support of Ogilvy in making the shoot as sustainable as possible, we went for it. Locamats are 100% nylon fibre, re-usable protective floor coverings, and can withstand heavy foot traffic. They have a rubber anti slip backing and are also very easy to move around. The Locamats team delivered a variety of sizes and even helped lay them down. No more horrible corex and gaffer tape sessions! Once you wrap, the driver arrives to collect them, before they're cleaned and sent out on the next job.

This was lovely project to work on, and it was so great to have such a supportive producer and everyone on board and keen to do their bit (including the 1st AD who cycled to and from set and to the unit base for lunch)!

To help you on your shoot, check out our Five Easy Things to get some inspiration. You can also point your crew to What Can I Do? and use our signage for your recycling bins and general awareness raising. The Sustainable Production Agreement is also a great way to make sure you’ve ticked as many green boxes as possible, and our FAQ section can help with info about coolers, cups and Ram Board. If you'd like to help inspire others by sharing your experience, get in touch. Just 3 or 4 points and a few pics is enough for us to put together a case study.

CASE STUDY: TANTRUM / LEO BURNETT / P&G’S FAIRY

Blog number two - I'm on a roll! After AdGreen success on Rice Krispies, I continued on at Tantrum for another month to PA a three day shoot on location for P&G’s “Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes” spot for Fairy.

First off, I spoke to our location manager Sarah Butler. She was really happy to use Quantum Waste for our recycling and food waste collection, so I created an account for Tantrum and got it booked it all in (more info on how you or your location manager can do this here). As Jo and Daisy discovered when they visited the plant, Quantum Waste sort all of the rubbish by hand and make sure that everything that can be recycled, gets recycled.

Next I talked to with Get Set Hire about location supplies as they'd just got these brilliant dual bins (see pic below), and they pre-labelled them with the AdGreen signage (print your own here) - time was tight and I asked very politely! You do need to make sure you have some clear bags - luckily Get Set Hire have those too, so don’t forget to add them when ordering the bins! Happily these bins and bags weren't breaking the bank either - taking away the fear that the greener way is going to be more expensive: a pop-up bin is £2 to hire, and a dual set is £4. Producer Will Waters loved getting (b)involved:

The next issue to tackle was the dreaded plastic bottle… I had asked Nomadic Kitchen to make sure that we had enough bottled water for crew to have one per day, which they were happy to do. I then ordered 2 water coolers, 2 x 19 litre water bottles per cooler, and 500 compostable cups, and stationed one cooler on set and one back at unit base. When calling all of the crew the night before the shoot, I emphasised all of the AdGreen measures we would be taking on set, and asked everyone to bring a water bottle, and if they had one, a reusable coffee cup or Thermos for hot drinks. On my way to set I stopped to get the papers; my heart sunk when I saw this front page…

Ugh. So depressing.

When I got to set, nearly everyone had brought a water bottle with them. I was, and still am, beaming with pride for my Fairy crew - check out Spencer Wilson going in for a casual refill in the above pic! Our caterers also provided us with Vegware plates and cutlery, and had our special bins situated at base by the tea table. I also have to give a special shout out to our unit base, Wasps RFC, who had their own recycling bins situated inside their buildings - way to go making our life easier!

Another problem that's a bit out of control is the amount of paperwork we print, which more often than not, ends up being binned. Again, I gave forewarning that we would print limited call sheets and schedules via the call sheet front page and email out the night before. As Daisy has been showing you in her case studies, we also had key paperwork on notice boards which everyone could refer to throughout the day - plus they all had digital copies anyway.

Wasps RFC's own beautiful bins

I felt really pleased with my first officially green shoot, however there's always more we can do. Team AdGreen has recently announced Five Easy Things in conjunction with their Green Production Get Together in March - I managed to cover some of these but I was frustrated that we couldn't ditch correx in favour of Ram Board. The recycled and recyclable material is SO MUCH BETTER than unrecycled and unrecyclable correx, however, it's a little more labour intensive to put down (it takes a bit of practice to get it down quickly) and is currently more expensive. Things like this need all of us to start using them in order to bring the cost down and get people used to working with the material. However, doing any of the Five Easy Things is certainly a step in a greener direction!

Throughout the shoot I had some lovely comments from the crew, saying how great they thought the AdGreen initiative is... being green needn’t be hard! It’s actually really rewarding when everyone does it together.

To help you on your shoot, check out our Five Easy Things to get some inspiration. You can also point your crew to What Can I Do? and use our signage for your recycling bins and general awareness raising. The Sustainable Production Agreement is also a great way to make sure you’ve ticked as many green boxes as possible, and our FAQ section can help with info about coolers, cups and Ram Board. If you'd like to help inspire others by sharing your experience, get in touch. Just 3 or 4 points and a few pics is enough for us to put together a case study.